The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jenin, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Hebron attack Palestinians harvesting their olive grove outside Hebron; the IDF arrests the Palestinian family for threatening the settlers, releases them but bars them fr. accessing their land. In Gaza City, unidentified Palestinian gunmen kidnap Spanish Associated Press photographer Emilio Morenatti, release him quickly after Abbas’s intervention; no details of the terms of release are given. A Palestinian wounded by the IDF in Bayt Hanun on 10/23 dies. (NYT 10/25; PCHR 11/2)

The German Defense Min. reports an incident btwn. its naval vessels off the Lebanese coast and the IDF in which 2 Israeli F-16s fired twice and released antimissile flares over a German ship. Israel denies the report, saying that jets were dispatched when a helicopter took off fr. a German boat without identifying itself, but as soon as Israel realized the mistake, the jets broke off. (NYT 10/26)

The IDF sends troops, tanks, bulldozers into n. Gaza to occupy border areas nr. Bayt Hanun (the Shurrab Farm area), Bayt Lahiya to deter Palestinian rocket fire. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Tubas. In Gaza City, Fatah-led protests demanding that the Hamas-led government pay back salaries owed civil servants escalate dramatically, with some 3,000 Fatah-affiliated security forces attacking members of the predominantly Hamas ESF, sparking clashes that leave 6 Palestinians dead (3 bystanders, 1 Force 17 officer, 1 PSF officer, 1 ESF officer), around 61 wounded; the ESF reportedly uses grenades, antitank weapons, rifles to break up the demonstration and arrests 25 protesters. During the day, demonstrations spread to Khan Yunis (where Fatah-affiliated security officers clash with the ESF, leaving 26 wounded), al-Bureij r.c. (where Fatah, Hamas mbrs. exchange fire, killing 2 Palestinians), Ramallah (where AMB mbrs. demonstrate for the removal of the Hamasled government and vandalize, partially burn the empty PC building and adjacent building, vandalizing a Hamas newspaper office, temporarily occupying the PA Education Min.), as well as in Askar r.c. (where Fatah, Hamas mbrs. trade fire, wounding 1 Palestinian), Balata r.c. (where protesters attack a women’s center, a youth center), Hebron (where Fatah protesters ransack, set fire to offices of Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs.), Nablus (where Fatah mbrs. ransack, torch offices of Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs.; vandalize 2 Islamic private schools, wounding 2 Palestinians; fire on the home of an al-Jazeera TV reporter), and Salfit (where protesters attack the al-Nahda association offices). Late in the evening in Gaza City, suspected Hamas mbrs. throw grenades at a group of PSF protesters, killing 1 PSF mbr., wounding 30. Late in the evening, PA Interior M Siyam orders the ESF to return to barracks to reduce tensions. Abbas, Haniyeh appeal for calm. (AP, NYT, WP, WT 10/2; PCHR 10/5)

The IDF completes its withdrawal fr. Lebanon at 2:30 A.M. local time (8:30 P.M. 9/30 ET) but vows to continue surveillance overflights of Lebanon until UN Res. 1701 is implemented in full, including the release of 2 captured IDF soldiers and disarmament of Hizballah. The UN says that the overflights constitute violations of the cease-fire. (NYT, WP 10/1; NYT 10/2; see also NYT 9/27) (see 9/8, 9/19)

IDF troops and Shin Bet agents abduct Change and Reform Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. and PC secy. Mahmud Ramahi nr. Ramallah. Also in the West Bank, the IDF fires on a taxi attempting to bypass Hawara checkpoint nr. Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 2; raids, searches an Islamist charity nr. Hebron, confiscating computers, a fax, some files; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm r.c., nr. Nablus. In Gaza, the IDF shells residential areas nr. Dayr al-Balah, damaging a house and car, wounding 2 Palestinians; fires on Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. Erez industrial zone, wounding 1; fires on Palestinian farmers working a field nr. al-Bureij r.c., wounding 2; bulldozes 20 d. of Palestinian olive groves in Rafah. A Palestinian is injured in an exchange of gunfire btwn. rival Fatah factions in Gaza’s al-Maghazi r.c. A Palestinian woman dies of injures received fr. IDF fire in al-Shuka on 8/5. (NYT, WP, WT 8/21; OCHA 8/23; PCHR 8/24)

The UN reports that Lebanon has deployed only about 3,000 troops to s. Lebanon (2,000 along the border with Syria, 1,000 along the coast). Israel continues daily overflights of Lebanon in violation of the 8/14 truce, IDF troops are still in s. Lebanon, and the Israeli air and naval blockade are still in place, but no new clashes btwn. IDF and Hizballah forces in Lebanon are reported. (AP, NYT, WP, WT 8/21)

In Gaza, the IDF shells areas nr. Khan Yunis, wounding 2 Palestinians and damaging an ambulance coming to their rescue; fires on a Palestinian family tending their fields nr. the border fence with Israel e. of al-Qarara, killing a Palestinian teenager; bulldozes 7 d. of agricultural land nr. al-Maghazi r.c. Palestinians fire several rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the Israeli forces send undercover units into al-Bireh for a day-long operation, imposes a curfew, surrounds 2 apartment buildings, occupies neighboring homes as sniper and observation posts, orders all residents out for ID checks, then raids the building arresting a wanted Palestinian; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron (firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 1), Nablus; bulldozes 10s of d. of agricultural land nr. Bethlehem for construction of the separation wall. To protest U.S. Secy. of State Condoleezza Rice’s mtg. with Abbas today, Palestinians in Ramallah observe a general strike, 100s conduct a protest march (some waving Lebanese flags). A Jewish settler fr. Beitar Ilit nr. Bethlehem fires on a 47- yr.-old Palestinian walking nearby, wounding him with a live bullet in the jaw. A Jewish settler fr. Tene Oranim in Hebron throws a grenade at Palestinian shepherds tending a flock nearby, wounding 1 Palestinian, killing 3 sheep. A Palestinian civilian injured during Israeli operations in al-Maghazi r.c. on 7/19 dies. (NYT, WP, WT 7/26; PCHR 7/27)

Israeli Forces conduct air and artillery strikes on a UN Observer Group Lebanon post near al-Khiyam, hitting the area 21 times (at least 11 of them air strikes), killing 4 unarmed UN Truce Supervision Organization mbrs., continuing the aerial assault while rescue efforts are underway; continues air strikes in s. Beirut and across s. Lebanon, especially in Nabatiyya (where at least 6 Lebanese civilians are killed when 2 homes are hit by missiles), Tyre. Ground battles involving Israeli tank and Hizballah antitank fire, fierce house-to-house combat supported by Israeli artillery and helicopter fire continue in Bint Jubayl and Maroun al-Ras and are reported in Yaron to the west; by nightfall, Israel claims to have secured control of Bint Jubayl, killed senior Hizballah cmdr. Abu Jaafir and 20–30 Hizballah mbrs., though there is no independent confirmation; at least 3 Israeli soldiers are wounded. Hizballah fires more than 90 rockets into n. Israel, killing an Israeli Druze in Maghir, injuring 30 Israelis (mostly suffering fr. shock); other targets include Haifa, Ma’alot, Nahariya, Safad, Tiberias. (NYT, WP, WT 7/26; NYT 7/27)

Overnight, 10,000s of Hamas supporters rally outside the PC building in Ramallah in solidarity with the Hamas-led government. During the day, the IDF launches an air strike at a minibus traveling in downtown Gaza City, assassinating 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. (Shawqi al-Saiqali, Hamad Wadiya); 7 minutes later, as medics and crowds gather at the scene, the IDF makes a 2d air strike on the site, killing 4 Palestinian medics, 5 Palestinian bystanders, wounding 32; IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz says, “We are saddened by the deaths of these innocent Palestinians but hold absolutely no responsibility for them.” The IDF also occupies a Palestinian home in Jenin as a sniper post, then assassinates AMB mbr. Muhammad al-Wahish with a bullet to the chest (the target of an assassination attempt earlier in 2006); fires across the border on a funeral procession in Jabaliya r.c., wounding 3 Palestinian teenagers; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus. In addition, the IDF claims that its investigation of the 6/9 explosion on the Bayt Lahiya beach that killed 8 Palestinians was not caused by Israeli fire but by a Palestinian land mine; Palestinians and a Human Rights Watch senior military analyst dispute this based on the crater pattern, shrapnel at the scene, injuries of the wounded. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino settlement vandalize several Palestinian homes in Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on settlement beat several Palestinian farmers working their fields in Yatta, outside Hebron, pouring toxic substances onto their agricultural land, setting fire to 1,500 sq. m. of crops. In Nablus, Hamas mbrs. rally against Fatah rampages in Ramallah on 6/12. (MM, NYT, PCHR 6/13; IFM, NYT, WP, WT 6/14; PCHR 6/15; MM 6/16; Guardian, HA, Independent 6/17; OCHA, REU 6/21)

A Lebanese, Mahmud Rafih, confesses to running a network for Mossad, killing asenior Islamic Jihad mbr. on 5/26. (WP 6/14; MM 6/16; XIN 6/17; MM 6/20; SFR 6/21)

The IDF shuts Gaza’s Sufa commercial crossing for 2 days; shells n. Gaza, killing a Palestinian farmer, wounding a 2d Palestinian in Bayt Lahiya; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Qalqilya, and in Hebron, Qabatya, and Yamun nr. Jenin. In n. Gaza, 3 Palestinian teenagers are killed, 3 Palestinians are wounded when they accidentally detonate unexploded IDF ordnance. A Palestinian dies of injuries he received when the IDF fired on his car nr. Nablus on 4/15. (WP, WT 5/27; OCHA, PCHR 6/1)

In Sidon, Lebanon, senior Islamic Jihad official Mahmud Majzub, his brother are killed when a bomb in their car explodes. Israel denies responsibility. (MM 5/26; NYT 5/27; MM 5/30; SFR 6/21)